Technology FAQs for students, faculty and staff before campus goes fully remote post-Thanksgiving

As the campus community prepares to finish the fall semester with all classes 100% online and no in-person instruction, Information Technology Services (ITS) offers answers to some frequently asked questions to help students, faculty and staff prepare for the weeks ahead.


What will ITS be doing to minimize technology disruptions while most students, faculty and staff are remote?

ITS will have staff on campus to monitor and respond to technology issues. Monitoring is in place for most systems and applications such as the network, Blackboard, and Banner.

ITS staff will also be closely monitoring support request tickets as they come in for timely resolution. If you are placing a request, please be sure to provide your preferred contact information and your days/hours of availability so we know when and how to get back to you.

 

Who should I contact if I have a technology issue?

All members of the campus community can create a support request ticket online at the ITS Service Desk. You can also call our team at (845) 257-4357, and your issue will be routed to the appropriate ITS resource for resolution.

Find our hours of operation at support.newpaltz.edu.

 

What other information is available if I am experiencing a problem?

Our website includes a list of resources available for remote teaching, learning and working, where students, faculty and staff can find information about distance learning platforms like WebEx and Blackboard Collaborate; instructions and assistance using tools like the campus VPN, remote desktops, forwarded phones and cloud-based file storage; and our archive of relevant webinars, messages and other materials to support our community.

The ITS Service Desk also includes a Twitter Feed where we post general outage related information.

 

Where can students find the computer lab hours for the remainder of the fall semester?

Current computer lab hours are posted on this calendar.

 

What online learning resources are available to students?

All students have access to the Student Online Learning Orientation in Blackboard, and are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this guide. All the modules are all clearly labeled with topics, so you can go through from start to finish or focus on the sections that are most relevant to you (this time of the semester, we recommend checking out the modules on submitting assignments, taking tests and checking the My Grades).

 

What technology resources are available to faculty to assist with remote teaching?

Cisco Jabber is a particularly useful tool for remote teaching and working and is available to all SUNY New Paltz employees.

The software connects to the campus telephone system and acts just like a phone on your desk, enabling you to operate your office phone from your computer or mobile device. Use this link to place a request with Information Technology Services.

Please type “Jabber Request” in the title and include your campus user ID, phone extension, the type of device you’d like Jabber installed on, and whether it is a personal device or College property.